# Garden Visualizer - Would Results Improve Using Example Images? (Screenshots Included)

> Source: <https://dev.to/cathylai/garden-visualizer-would-results-improve-using-example-images-screenshots-included-jn2>
> Published: 2026-05-28 04:17:38+00:00

In creating a [garden visualizer](https://dev.to/cathylai/how-i-stopped-despairing-over-the-backyard-mess-and-started-an-ai-side-project-3f9a) to help home owners with their landscape decisions, I assumed that I needed to "program" the text prompt perfectly in order to give good results. So spending time tweaking the text descriptions seems natural.

However, after a few days [learning about context engineering](https://dev.to/cathylai/i-thought-my-one-sentence-is-enough-to-create-a-perfect-gpt-image-until-i-realized-it-had-been-3c20), I realised I could just send example images and describe what I like or dislike about them. That makes it a lot easier!! Both for me and for GPT!

Could you give me an idea of how I could transform this area of the property to have a nicer garden?

Please don't change any of the layout and proportions nor points of view.

Please don't add extra buildings or structures either.

Result

Conclusion: it looks very nice, but quite unrealistic... home owners probably won't be able to know where to start to achieve it!

Positive example image

Use it as a style guide, eg the realism style, the lawns (restricted and tidy), the sunlight, the homeliness, and simple yet elegant furniture. Not expensive. And not gardening magazine fantasy.

Negative example image

Do not match its unrealistic look, expensive furniture, perfect edges, storybook-like texture.

With 2 images as part of the parameters, I got a more achievable, yet still inspiring image:

I think it has picked up from the positive example: lawns, lighting, realism, and the simple furniture. From the negative, it got rid of the large qualities of flowers, and exclude expensive furniture.

To easily test different variations, I have a test script

```
test-image-edit.mjs

// And run it like so:
npm run test:image-edit -- -i public/images/messy_garden2.png --positive public/images/positive.jpeg --negative public/images/too_perfect.jpg -o scripts/output/test_output
```

This enables me to add images as parameters, so in the future I can play with different variations easily, without changing the source code constantly!